No. 200 Squadron RAF

Last updated

No. 200 Squadron RAF
Royal Air Force No. 200 Squadron (crest).jpg
No. 200 Squadron badge
ActiveJuly 1917 – 13 June 1919
May 1941 – April 1945
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchRoyal Air Force
Motto(s) Latin: In loco parentis
"We act as guardians" [1]
EquipmentLockheed Hudson
Consolidated Liberator
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryIn front of a fountain, a Pegasus.

No. 200 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated during the First and Second World War. The squadron was first formed in mid-1917 and during the First World War, it undertook a training role, before being disbanded in mid-1919. It was re-formed in 1941, and operated maritime patrol aircraft firstly from the United Kingdom, and then west Africa until early 1944 when it moved to India. In April 1945, the squadron was disbanded, having been renumbered No. 8 Squadron RAF.

Contents

First World War

No. 200 Training Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed at East Retford on 17 June 1917, it operated the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 in the night flying training role. [2] It was disbanded on 13 June 1919 at the end of the war. [3]

Second World War

The squadron was formed on 25 May 1941 from a section of No. 206 Squadron RAF at RAF Bircham Newton in Norfolk, the first Lockheed Hudson IV patrol bombers for the squadron arrived at the beginning of June. Later in the month the squadron deployed to RAF Gibraltar and then to the Gambia, where it flew convoy protection missions out of RAF Jeswang, moving to RAF Yundum in 1943 and re-equipping with the four-engined Consolidated Liberator V bombers. [2]

Detachments of the squadron also flew from several other West African airfields in this period. [4]

In March 1944, the squadron redeployed to Madras in India as part of South East Asia Command. It only carried out a few missions from Madras before moving to Bengal for special duties, mainly supplying and delivering guerrilla parties into Burma and Malaya. In April 1945 it was renumbered as No. 8 Squadron RAF and 200 Squadron was disbanded. [2] [4]

Victoria Cross

In August 1943, Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg was awarded the Victoria Cross for an action in which his aircraft sank U-468 , a German submarine. Flying out of Banjul, the Liberator V he piloted depth-charged the submarine, taking heavy anti-aircraft fire in the process and crashing into the ocean with the loss of all crew. The only survivors of the engagement were seven German crewmen, who commended the bravery of the aircrew, making this one of the few Victoria Crosses to have been awarded on the recommendation of an enemy officer (and the only VC to be awarded solely on enemy testimony). [5]

Aircraft operated

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JHC FS Aldergrove</span> Ministry of Defence Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station

Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove, also known as simply JHC FS Aldergrove, is a British military base located 4.4 miles (7.1 km) south of Antrim, Northern Ireland and 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Belfast, and adjoins Belfast International Airport. It is sometimes referred to simply as Aldergrove which is the name of a nearby hamlet.

Royal Air Force Long Kesh, or more simply RAF Long Kesh, is a former Royal Air Force station at Maze, Lisburn, Northern Ireland.

Royal Air Force Blackbushe or more simply RAF Blackbushe is a former Royal Air Force station in Hampshire, England, during the Second World War. It is now Blackbushe Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tain Air Weapons Range</span> Military range in Highlands, Scotland

Tain Air Weapons Range is a Ministry of Defence air weapons range on the Dornoch Firth near Tain in Scotland. Royal Air Force aircrews from RAF Lossiemouth are trained in air weaponry on the range, along with NATO aircrew.

Royal Air Force Bircham Newton or more simply RAF Bircham Newton is a former Royal Air Force station located 2.1 miles (3.4 km) south east of Docking, Norfolk and 13.4 miles (21.6 km) north east of King's Lynn, Norfolk, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Watton</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Norfolk, England

Royal Air Force Watton or more simply RAF Watton is a former Royal Air Force station located 9 mi (14 km) southwest of East Dereham, Norfolk, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 190 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 190 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron with a relatively short existence, but a very broad career. It served as a trainer squadron during the first World War and as convoy escort, airborne support and transport squadron during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Colerne</span> Former airfield in Wiltshire, England

Royal Air Force Colerne or more simply RAF Colerne is a former Royal Air Force station which was on the outskirts of the village of Colerne in Wiltshire, England, and was in use from 1939 to 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Beaulieu</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Hampshire, England

Royal Air Force Beaulieu or more simply RAF Beaulieu is a former Royal Air Force station in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It was also known as Beaulieu airfield, Beaulieu aerodrome and USAAF Station AAF 408. It is located on Hatchet Moor 1 mile (2 km) west of the village of East Boldre, about 2 miles (3 km) west-southwest of the village of Beaulieu and 4 miles (6 km) north-east of Lymington.

No. 357 Squadron was a special operations squadron of the Royal Air Force. During the Second World War it was involved in supplying Allied ground forces operating behind enemy lines, in the South-East Asian theatre.

Lod Air Force Base, also Air Force Base 27, was an Israeli Air Force airfield that was part of the Ben Gurion International Airport, located approximately 7 km (4 mi) north of Lod; 8 km (5 mi) east-southeast of Tel Aviv.

No. 517 Squadron RAF was a meteorological squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

No. 520 Squadron RAF was a meteorological squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

Royal Air Force Docking or more simply RAF Docking is a former Royal Air Force satellite station a few miles from Bircham Newton in Norfolk, England.

No. 521 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a Second World War meteorological observation unit operating from Norfolk.

Royal Air Force Dunholme Lodge or more simply RAF Dunholme Lodge was a Royal Air Force station located between the parishes of Welton and Dunholme in Lincolnshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 15 Group RAF</span> Former Royal Air Force operations group

No. 15 Group was a group of the Royal Air Force, which disbanded in 1945. It was operational in the last year of, and just after, the First World War, a reformation saw it active throughout the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 16 Group RAF</span> Former Royal Air Force operations group

No. 16 Group RAF was a group of the Royal Air Force. It existed over two periods in two different roles. No. 16 Group was initially a training group, from 1918 to 1920, that had been transferred from the Royal Flying Corps. It reformed as a reconnaissance group under RAF Coastal Command, in 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Church Fenton</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Church Fenton or RAF Church Fenton is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located 4.3 miles (6.9 km) south-east of Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England and 6.3 miles (10.1 km) north-west of Selby, North Yorkshire, near the village of Church Fenton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Iceland</span> Former command of the Royal Air Force

RAF Iceland is a former Royal Air Force command which controlled RAF units within Iceland. The command was operational between July 1941 and July 1945 during the Second World War, the unit was previously No. 30 Wing RAF.

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • Ashcroft, M. (2007) [2006]. Victoria Cross Heroes. Headline Review. ISBN   978-0-7553-1633-5.
  • Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife. ISBN   1-85310-053-6.
  • Halley, J. J. (1969). Royal Air Force Unit Histories, Volume 1 Nos 1 to 200 Squadron. Air-Britain (Historians).
  • Pine, LG (1983). A Dictionary of mottoes . London: Routledge & K. Paul. ISBN   0-7100-9339-X.
  • Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN   978-0851-3036-59.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.